Up-conversion luminescence from Nd^(3+) ions doped in NaBi(WO_4)_2 single crystal

The luminescence of Nd3+-doped in NaBi(WO4)2 single crystal was investigated from 10 K to room temperature.The excitation source was a pulsed dye laser in resonance into the(4G5/2+2G(1)7/2) levels of Nd3+ ions.Several blue emission bands in the up-conversion luminescence spectra corresponded to transitions from 2P1/2 to 4I9/2.Some violet bands corresponding to transitions of 4D3/2→(4I9/2,4I11/2,4I13/2) were also observed.For comparison,the luminescence spectra and decay curves excited by the pulsed 355 nm l...

Up-conversion luminescence tuning in Er^3+ -doped ceramic glass by femtosecond laser pulse at different laser powers

The up-conversion luminescence tuning of rare-earth ions is an important research topic for understanding luminescence mechanisms and promoting related applications. In this paper, we experimentally study the up-conversion luminescence tuning of Er3+-doped ceramic glass excited by the unshaped, V-shaped and cosine-shaped femtosecond laser field with different laser powers. The results show that green and red up-conversion luminescence can be effectively tuned by varying the power or spectral phase of the femtosecond laser field. We further analyze the up-conversion luminescence tuning mechanism by considering different excitation processes, including single-photon absorption(SPA), two-photon absorption(TPA), excited state absorption(ESA), and energy transfer up-conversion(ETU). The relative weight of TPA in the whole excitation process can increase with the increase of the laser power, thereby enhancing the intensity ratio between green and red luminescence(I547/I656). However, the second ETU(ETU2) process can generate red luminescence and reduce the green and red luminescence intensity ratio I547/I656, while the third ESA(ESA3) process can produce green luminescence and enhance its control efficiency. Moreover, the up-conversion luminescence tuning mechanism is further validated by observing the up-conversion luminescence intensity, depending on the laser power and the down-conversion luminescence spectrum under the excitation of 400-nm femtosecond laser pulse. These studies can present a clear physical picture that enables us to understand the up-conversion luminescence tuning mechanism in rare-earth ions, and can also provide an opportunity to tune up-conversion luminescence to promote its related applications.

Up-conversion luminescence properties and energy transfer of Er^(3+)/Yb^(3+)co-doped oxyfluoride glass ceramic containing CaF_2 nano-crystals

The Er^3＋/yb^3＋ co-doped transparent oxyfluoride glass-ceramics containing CaF2 nano-crystals were successfully prepared. After heat treatments, transmission electron microscopy （TEM） images showed that CaF2 nano-crystals of 20-30 nm in diameter precipitated uniformly in the glass matrix. luminescence of Er^3＋ at 540 nm and 658 nm was observed in Comparing with the host glass, high efficiency upconversion the glass ceramics under the excitation of 980 nm. Moreover, the size of the precipitated nano-crystals can be controlled by heat-treatment temperature and time. With the increase of the nano-crystal size, the intensity of the red emission increased more rapidly than that of the green emission. The energy transfer process of Er^3＋ and Yb^3＋ was convinced and the possible mechanism of Er^3＋ up-conversion was discussed.

Frequency Up-conversion Luminescence Properties and Mechanism of Tm^(3+) /Er^(3+)/Yb^(3+) Co-doped Oxyfluorogermanate Glasses

Oxyfluoride glasses were developed with composition 60GeO 2 ·10AlF 3 ·25BaF 2 ·（1.95-x）GdF 3 · 3YbF 3 ·0.05TmF 3 ·xErF 3 （x=0.02,0.05,0.08,0.11,0.14,0.17）in mole percent.Intense blue（476 nm）,green（524 and 546 nm）and red（658 nm）emissions which identified from the 1G 4 →3H 6 transition of Tm3＋and the（2H 11/2 ,4S 3/2 ）→4I 15/2 ,4F 9/2 →4I 15/2 transitions of Er3＋,respectively,were simultaneously observed under 980 nm excitation at room temperature.The results show that multicolor luminescence including white light can be adjustably tuned by changing doping concentrations of Er3＋ion or the excitation power.In addition,the energy transfer processes among Tm3＋,Er3＋and Yb3＋ions,and up-conversion mechanisms are discussed.

Up-conversion luminescence polarization control in Er^(3+)-doped NaYF_4 nanocrystals

We propose a femtosecond laser polarization modulation scheme to control the up-conversion（UC） luminescence in Er^（3＋）-doped NaYF_4 nanocrystals dispersed in the silicate glass. We show that the UC luminescence can be suppressed when the laser polarization is changed from linear through elliptical to circular, and the higher repetition rate will yield the lower control efficiency. We theoretically analyze the physical control mechanism of the UC luminescence polarization modulation by considering on- and near-resonant two-photon absorption, energy transfer up-conversion, and excited state absorption, and show that the polarization control mainly comes from the contribution of near-resonant two-photon absorption. Furthermore, we propose a method to improve the polarization control efficiency of UC luminescence in rare-earth ions by applying a two-color femtosecond laser field.

Green up-conversion Luminescence in Nd^(3+)-Ho^(3+) Co-doped Oxyfluorotellurite Glasses

Blue, green and red up-conversion luminescence at around 490, 545 and 650 nm, which result from the Ho^3＋5F3→5I8, （5F4,5S2）→3. 5I8 and 5F5→ 5I8 transitions, respectively, were observed in Nd3＋-Ho3. co-doped oxyfiuorotellurite glasses under 800 nm excitation. Among these up-conversion luminescence, the green emission was extremely strong and the blue and red emission intensities were very weak. Selectively strong green up-conversion luminescence of these glasses indicate a high possibility for realizing a green upconversion laser. Up-conversion processes for the blue, green and red emissions are two-photon processes assisted by Nd3^＋→Ho^3＋ energy transfer. It is proposed that the up-conversion mechanism for the blue and green emissions is different from that for the red emission. The respective mechanisms are discussed.

Surface modification of an up-conversion luminescence material by overcoating with SiO_2 and its characterization

The surface of an up-conversion luminescence material was modified by overcoating with SiOa, which was synthesized from a hydrolysis progress of telraethoxysilane （TEOS） in alkalescent condition. By analyzing the hydrolyzed mechanism of TEOS, it was found that there was not only physical adsorption but also chemical bonding between the up-conversion material and SiO2. At the same time, some adsorption bands at 1100, 475, 950, and 3500 cm^-1 were found by FI-IR, which were the characteristic bands of Si-OH and Si-O-Si. By analyzing the surface elements of the coated material by XPS, it was found that its surface only included Si, O, and C elements, and not F and Y. In the picture of XRD, there was no additional peak after surface modification, suggesting that the silica shell was amorphous. The small peak at 20 = 23° in the X-ray diffraction pattern of the coated material was caused by the amorphous SiO2 shell, and the TEM image also proved that the surface of the material was successfully modified by overcoating with SiO2. The amount of hydroxyls was then increased on the surface of the material, which made it easy to connect with other active groups.

Nanocrystals precipitation and up-conversion luminescence in Yb^(3+)-Tm^(3+) co-doped oxyfluoride glasses

Rare earth ions doped oxyfluoride glass with composition of 28SiO2·22AlO1.5·40PbF2·10PbO·（4.8-x） GdFy0.1NdF3.xYbF3·0.1TmF3 （x=-0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 4.8） in molar ratio was developed. When the oxyfluoride glasses were heat-treated at the first crystallization temperature, the glasses gave transparent glass-ceramics in which rare earth containing fluorite-type nanocrystals of about 17.2 nm in diameter uniformly precipitated in the glass matrix. Compared with the glasses before heat treatment, the glass-ceramics exhibited very strong blue up-conversion luminescence under 800 nm light excitation. Rare earth containing nanocrystals were also space selectively precipitated upon laser irradiation in an oxyfluoride glass, the size of precipitated nanocrystals could be controlled by laser power and scan speed. The intensity of the blue up-conversion luminescence was strongly dependent on the precipitation of β-PbF2 nanocrystal and the YbF3 concentration. The reasons for the highly efficient Tm^3＋ up-conversion luminescence after laser irradiation were discussed.

Sensitized Up-Conversion Luminescence of Ho^(3+) in Nd^(3+)-Yb^(3+)-Ho^(3+) Co-doped ZrF_4-Based Glass

Up-conversion processes for the blue, green and red emissions were foundtwo-photon phenomenon, known as the cooperative phenomenon. This phenomenon was assisted by Nd^(3+)→ Yb^(3+) → Ho^(3+) energy transfer. The strong green emission due to the Ho^(3+) : (~5F_4, ~5S_2)→ ~5I_8 transitions was observed in Nd^(3+) - Ho^(3+) co-doped ZrF_4-based fluoride glasses under800 nm excitation. As an attempt to enhance Ho^(3+) up-conversion luminescences in the Nd^(3+) -Ho^(3+) co-doped ZrF_4-based glasses, Yb^(3+) ions were added to the glasses. As a result it wasfound that, in 800 nm excitation of 60ZrF_4. 30BaF2. (8-x)LaF_3. 1NdF_3. xYbF_3. 1HoF_3 glasses (x =0 to 7), sensitized up-conversion luminescences are observed at around 490 nm (blue), 545 nm(green), and 650 nm (red), which correspond to the Ho^(3+) : ~5F_3 → ~5I_8, ( ~5F_4, ~5S_2) →~5I_8 and ~5F_5 → ~5I_8 transitions respectively. The intensities of the green and red emissions ina 3 mol% YbF_3-containing glass were about 50 times stronger than those glasses without YbF_3. Thisis based on sensitization due to Yb^(3+) ions. In particular, the green emission was extremelystrong and the Nd^(3+) - Yb^(3+) - Ho^(3+) co-doped ZrF_4-based glasses have a high possibility ofrealizing a green up-conversion laser glass. In this paper the up-conversion mechanism in theglasses is discussed in detail.

Surface modification of up-conversion luminescence material Na[Y_(0.57)Yb_(0.39)Er_(0.04)]F_4 with hydrosulfide group

A new method was reported for surface modification of an up-conversion luminescence material with hydrosulfide group. The factors that may influence the surface modification,such as reaction time,amount of catalyzer and modifier,and reaction solvent,were investigated. The optimal conditions were that the reaction time,the quantity of the basic catalyzer,the quantity of modifier and the volume of reaction solvent were 40 min,1.0,1.0,and 40 mL,respectively. The results indicated that hydrosulfide group content modified on the surface of up-conversion luminescence material reached to 0.1430 mmol/g,and this modified up-conversion luminescence material could be widely used in the study of structure of protein and the property of microenvironment.

Hydrothermal synthesis and up-conversion luminescence of Ho^(3+)/Yb^(3+)co-doped CaF_2

CaF2：Ho3＋/Yb3＋ nano-particles with intense green up-conversion （UC） luminescence are successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal approach by using NH4F as the fluoride source and Na2EDTA as a chelating reagent. Powder X- ray diffraction （XRD）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, field emission scanning electron microscopy （FE-SEM）, and UC emission spectra are used to characterize the structures, shapes, and luminescent properties of the samples. The effects from fluoride sources and chelating reagents on the formations of CaF2 nano-particles are investigated, and the for- mation process is also deduced. Under the excitation of a 980-nm laser diode, the samples each show a green up-conversion emission centered at 540 nm corresponding to the 5S2/5F4-＋518 transitions of Ho3＋. Moreover, the UC mechanisms of Ho3＋/Yb3＋ co-doped CaF2 nano-particles are also discussed.

Comparison study of two aldehyde group finishing agents in surface modification of up-conversion luminescence materials

Surface modification of up-conversion luminescence materials （Na[Y0.57Yb0.39Er0.04]F4 modified by amino groups） by grafting and modifying with aldehyde groups was studied by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, thermogravimetric analysis （TGA）, and emission spectrum （EM）. The surface modification effect was compared using two different finishhag agents, p-phthalaldehyde and glutaraldehyde. It was found that the surface of up-conversion luminescence materials could be modified by aldehyde groups of the two finishing agents, the systematic dispersibility and the thermostability of the up-conversion luminescence material modified by p-phthalaldehyde were better than those of the material modified by glutaraldehyde, and the luminous intensity of the material modified by p-phthalaldehyde was increased. The AI （the ratio of the suspended segmental quality in the specimen to the total mass of the specimen） of the material modified by p-phthalaldehyde was higher than that of the material modified by glutaraldehyde. It is obviously seen that the embellishment effect of p-phthalaldehyde as a finishing agent was better than that of glutaraldehyde. In addition, the reasons why p-phthalaldehyde is a good finishing agent are also explained.

Preparation of NaYF_4:Er^(3+)/TiO_2 composite and up-conversion luminescence properties under visible light excitation

The up-conversion luminescence composite NaYF4：Er3＋/TiO2 is prepared using the sol-gel method. The specimen has good crystallinity and two shapes, i.e., viereck and round, while the sizes of viereck and round particles are both micron-sized. The TiO2 has an anatase structure, while the NaYF4 has a hexagonal phase, which can be hardly obtained through the common sol-gel method. Due to the big particle size and the high crystallinity of pure NaYF4： Er3＋, the composite has a small specific surface area that is less than Degussa P25 TiO2. The NaYF4：Er3＋/TiO2 composite shows several emission peaks at 211, 237, and 251 nm under the excitation of 388 nm, at 395 nm and 411 nm under the excitation of 500 nm, and at 467, 481,492, and 508 nm under the excitation of 570 nm.

Multi-photon Up-conversion Luminescence of ErP_(5)O_(14) Noncrystalline

In this paper we report the observation of multi-photon up-conversion luminescence phenomenon of ErP_(5)O_(14) noncrystalline induced by pulse DCM dye laser and clarify that the mechanism of up-conversion is the step by step absorption of single Er^(3+)ion.

Rare earth up-conversion luminescence technology listed in 2015 National Technical Invention Awards

The Ministry of Science and Technology announced the initial results of 2015 National Science and Technology Prize,recently."Establishment of real-time monitoring system and its applications in wide fields based on rare earth nano up-conversion luminescence technology"recommended by the Chinese Medical Association was listed among the second prize.The project was conducted by the Academy of

White up-conversion luminescence and highly-sensitive optical temperature sensing in Na_(3)La(VO_(4))_(2):Yb,Er,Tm,Ho phosphors

In this work,tunable white up-conversion luminescence was achieved in the Yb^(3+),Er^(3+),Tm^(3+),Ho^(3+) codoped Na_(3)La(VO_(4))_(2) phosphors under 980 nm excitation.The emissions of three primary colors are mainly attributed to the ~2H_(11/2)/~4S_(3/2)→~4I_(15/2) transitions of Er^(3+),~1G_(4)→~3H_6 transition of Tm^(3+),and_5F_5→~5I_8 transition of Ho^(3+).White luminescence characteristics and mechanisms of up-conversion system were investigated in detail.In addition,the temperature sensing behaviors of multiple levels emission combinations for Na_(3)La(VO_(4))_(2):Yb^(3+),Er^(3+),Tm^(3+),Ho^(3+) were analyzed by employing thermally coupled and non-thermally coupled energy levels.Based on the emissions of ~3F_(2,3)/~1G_(4) energy levels,the maximum relative and absolute sensitivities were obtained to be 2.20%/K and 0.279 K^(-1).The design of up-conversion luminescence materials with high-quality white luminescence and excellent sensitivity performance is critical in the field of optical applications.

Effects of Bi^(3+) on down-/up-conversion luminescence,temperature sensing and optical transition properties of Bi^(3+)/Er^(3+)co-doped YNbO_(4) phosphors

A series of YNbO_(4):Bi^(3+) and YNbO_(4):Bi^(3+)/Er^(3+) phosphors were prepared by a conventional high temperature solid-state reaction method.The results of XRD and Rietveld refinement confirm that monoclinic phase YNbO_(4)samples are achieved.The down-/up-conversion luminescence of Er^(3+) ions was investigated under the excitation of ultraviolet light(327 nm)and near infrared light(980 nm).Under 327 nm excitation,broad visible emission band from Bi^(3+) ions and characteristic green emission peaks from Er^(3+) ions are simultaneously observed,while only strong green emissions from Er^(3+) ions are detected upon excitation of 980 nm.Remarkable emission enhancement is observed in down-/up-conversion luminescence processes by introducing Bi^(3+) ions into Er^(3+)-doped YNbO_(4)phosphors.Pumped current versus up-conversion emission intensity study shows that two-photon processes are responsible for both the green and the red up-conversion emissions of Er^(3+)ion.Through the study of the temperature sensing property of Er^(3+) ion,it is affirmed that the temperature sensitivity is sensitive to the doping concentration of Bi^(3+) ions.By comparing the experimental values of the radiative transition rate ratio of the two green emission levels of Er^(3+) ions and the theoretical values calculated by Judd-Ofelt(J-O)theory,it is concluded that the temperature sensing property of Er^(3+) ions is greatly affected by the energy level splitting.

Enhancement of up-conversion luminescence properties in Yb^(3+)/Tm^(3+)/Er^(3+) tri-doped transparent oxyfluoride tellurite glass ceramics

Optically transparent Er3＋/Tm3＋/Yb3＋ tri-doped oxyfluoride tellurite based nano-crystallized glass ceramics with the batching composition of 73TeO2-15ZnO-7ZnF2-3YF3-1.5YbF3-0.3ErF3-0.2TmF3 （mol%） is prepared by a conventional melting quenching and the subsequent heat treatment processes. The sizes of grown nano-crystals in glass matrix appear to be smaller than 100 nm from the scanning electron mi- croscope measurement. Visible up-conversion luminescence of the as melted glass and glass ceramics is investigated. The three-color up-conversion luminescence intensities by 980-nm pumping are increased significantly due to the heat treatment, and the blue intensity increases with a higher magnitude than other wavelengths after heat treatment.

Up-conversion luminescence of Er^(3+)and Yb^(3+)co-doped CaBi_(2)Ta_(2)O_(9) multifunctional ferroelectrics

Er^(3+)and Yb^(3+)co-doped CaBi_(2)Ta_(2)O_(9)(CBT)-based bismuth layered-structure oxides were synthesized by a simple solid-state reaction method.Their up-conversion(UC)luminescence,dielectric and ferroelectric properties were investigated.Two strong green emission bands centered at 526 and 547nm and a weak red emission band centered at 658nm were obtained under a 980nm laser excitation at room temperature.These emission bands originated from the radiative relaxation of Er^(3+)from 2H_(11)=2,4S_(3)=2,and 4F_(9/2) levels to the ground state 4I_(15)=2,respectively.At the meantime,the fluorescence intensity ratio(FIR)variation of two green UC emissions at 526 and 547nm has been studied as a function of temperature in the range of 153–603K.The maximum sensor sensitivity obtained was 39×10^(-4)K^(-1) at 590K,which indicated that Er^(3+)=Yb^(3+)co-doped CBT ceramic is a promising candidate for applications in optical high temperature sensor.